In recent years, the casino industry has evolved from being an industry of independent, unaffiliated casino properties to an industry of affiliated casino properties. In some instances, such as Harrah's, all of the casino properties have an identical corporate name and identity. In other instances, such as Station Casinos, Inc. and Park Place Entertainment (PPE), the casino properties have individual names but a single corporate identity (e.g., Palace Station Hotel & Casino, a Station Casinos property, The Flamingo, a PPE property). In yet other instances, independent casino properties have joined with each other to form loose networks with common marketing programs.
Most affiliated casino properties have now instituted player clubs wherein a single player card can be used at any of the affiliated casino properties. The player clubs allows patrons to aggregate comp dollars, cashback awards, and the like, earned at each of the affiliated properties and to make redemptions at any affiliated property. Some player clubs provide kiosks to allow patrons to directly access their account of comp dollars and redeem comp dollars. This type of scheme may be referred to as a “visible comp program.” (Comps are complimentary gifts used by casinos to reward players to gamble. Typical comps include free or discounted room, food and beverage, free travel and the like.)
Other player clubs withhold comp account data from the patrons and provide it only to authorized casino personnel. This type of scheme may be referred to as an “invisible comp program.” In an invisible comp program, if a player requests a comp at a hospitality desk or by directly asking a host or hostess, the patron's account is reviewed and a discretionary decision is made by casino personnel as to whether a comp can be offered. Upon acceptance of a comp, the casino personnel adjusts the account accordingly.
Individual casino properties also have comp programs that have a visible and invisible component. Earned comp points are apportioned between a visible account that the patron may access at a kiosk, and an invisible account that can only be accessed by authorized casino personnel. Multi-property player clubs such as Harrah's have invisible comp programs that provide both enterprise-level comp accounts and individual property comp accounts.
Visible and invisible comp accounts each have logistical and psychological advantages and disadvantages. A well-designed comp program preferably should include both visible and invisible comp accounts. New logistical issues have arisen as comp programs have moved from individual property and regional approaches to total enterprise approaches.
Despite the proliferation of different types of multi-property player clubs with different visible and invisible components, there is still a need for a more flexible enterprise level, multi-property player club that can maintain visible and invisible components in the same program, minimize the need for communications among properties when checking enterprise-level comp account balances and redeeming enterprise-level earned comps, and still allow individual casino properties within the enterprise to have some degree of autonomy with respect to their comp programs. The present invention fulfills such needs.